People have enjoyed mixed alcoholic drinks for many years. Remembering how to properly prepare an alcoholic drink can be difficult. Certain mixed drinks contain five or more different ingredients. The ingredients may comprise different types of alcohol, juices, soda, water, milk, etc. For example, a long island iced tea has eight ingredients. Knowing the proper ingredients is not enough. A bar tender must also know how much of each ingredient to add, what type of glass the drink should be prepared in, whether the drinks should be shaken or stirred, and whether it should be served with or without ice. Learning the recipe for each of these different drinks is very time consuming.
Professional bartenders must study 100's of different drinks before they can competently work in a bar. Books are available, for example, Mr. Boston books, to help bar tenders and the general public learn how to mix their favorite drink. A problem with books is that they are susceptible to damage by spilled drinks.